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Red Faction: Armageddon sales below expectations, Volition moving on

Sales of Red Faction: Armageddon were "below our expectations," according to THQ CEO Brian Farrell. With middling reviews and low sales, the Red Faction franchise is being placed on hold.

THQ has been undergoing a dramatic transformation as of late. A newfound focus on core games has led THQ to... further losses. For the quarter ending June 30th, the company reported a net loss of $38.4 million, and a certain game took the spotlight for the financial shortcoming. "We are disappointed in our first quarter financial performance," Brian Farrell, THQ CEO said. "Sales of Red Faction: Armageddon and our licensed kids titles were below our expectations."

The low sales figures may have been the death knell of the franchise.

Investors and representatives repeatedly referred to Armageddon as a "miss," an unfortunate end to a game that was center of a large trans-media campaign. In addition to Armageddon, THQ partnered with SyFy to release a made-for-TV movie. In spite of the more aggressive advertising campaign, sales fell short. And why? The quality.

"Mid-70s is not good enough," Farrell said, referring to the reviews Armageddon ultimately received. (The Xbox 360 version has a 72 on Metacritic.)

The disappointing sales of Armageddon and its digital spin-off, Red Faction: Battlegrounds, has essentially placed the series on hold. The audience is "niche," Farrell said, before saying that "I do not believe we went far enough in cutting our portfolio... Only titles we think will be profitable, like Saint's Row: The Third," will be supported in the future.

So what's the status of developer Volition? "They've rolled on to Insane," Farrel stated. Guillermo del Toro's trilogy is set to begin in 2013, meaning the Red Faction team won't be able to go back to Mars for a long, long time.

"We do not intend to carry forward with that franchise in any meaningful way," Farrell said.